Hospitality Today Spring 2017 | Page 23

“Ensuring that your restaurant’s channels are updated regularly with pertinent and engaging information for customers is crucial to meet guest expectation of what content is available - and shareable - on these social networking sites. hospitalitytoday.com | 23 Below: Albert Roux (centre) and the team in 1967 (left) & 2017 (right) “While many operators will of course devote considerable resource to ensuring their social media presence is well managed, the findings highlight that on site conversations still remain important to the overall guest experience, and we encourage restaurant to consider all elements of the customer journey when considering how to manage and improve the conversations had with customers.” Le Gavroche celebrates its 50th Anniversary Mayfair restaurant Le Gavroche this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Over five decades, the restaurant has been gently steered through the passages of London’s ever-changing dining scene under the watchful guidance of the Roux family. Michel Roux Jr., its current Chef Patron, says: “I am incredibly proud of the restaurant’s 50th anniversary, and the journey it’s taken to get here. My father and uncle opened the restaurant and made it one of London’s legends - to be able to continue that legacy and bring it to this historic landmark is one of the great achievements of my career.” In honour of the anniversary, Le Gavroche will be serving a limited-edition ‘Back to the Classics’ menu - a five-course, seasonally changing menu which will include classic Le Gavroche dishes from 1967 and beyond. Curated by Michel Roux Jr, the menu has been designed to be enjoyed exclusively in the Chef’s Library, Le Gavroche’s intimate private dining room home to Michel’s cookbook collection as well as historic photographs of the restaurant’s famous patrons. Available until December, the menu can be booked in advance for 4-6 people and is priced at £90pp, inclusive of water, tea, coffee, chocolates, service charge, and a copy of the Le Gavroche cookbook. Optional matched wines and a Le Gavroche cocktail are available, including one specially- selected 1967 wine from the restaurant’s renowned cellar for an extra £90pp. When Chef Patron Michel Roux Jr took over Le Gavroche in 1991, one of the first changes he made was to remove the rule requiring gentleme n to wear ties. Over a quarter of a century later, he has relaxed the dress code further by announcing that the restaurant no longer requires guests to wear jackets. As part of the celebrations, the 1967th booking of the year will receive a special gift from Michel, to be presented on their visit to the restaurant. Michel and the Le Gavroche team will also be honouring the anniversary with a host of public and private celebratory events throughout the anniversary year.